Tropical Farms at a Glance
Tropical Farms on Oahu’s windward (east) coast is a
destination that’s off the beaten path. Most visitors to
the island only get to see it if they take part in a
greater circle island bus tour, which they usually book
at a local tour operator. So if you don’t know about
this place, you wouldn’t rent a car to get here. But
it’s definitely worth a visit, not only for the many
delicious goodies you can buy, but also because you can
learn a great deal about Hawaiian culture.
They grow their macadamia nuts and other fruits right
here and you can enjoy flavors that aren’t available in
stores in Waikiki, such as cinnamon macadamias. They are
freshly made on this farm. And the good thing is, you
can try them for free. They even offer free samples of
Kona coffee in their store. Besides macadamia nuts, they
also sell jewelry, art, creams, aromatic oils and other
souvenirs.
Besides browsing through the farm’s store, they also
offer a tour of the farm, called the Alii Tour. The tour
lasts about one hour and takes you to the plantation and
fishpond. It also includes a demonstration on how the
Hawaiians lived off the land. The tour comes complete
with a super funny guide, aptly named “The Chief.”
He’ll first load everyone into an old bus and drive you
through the farm, pointing out types of plants and what
they are used for. Then you’ll head to a little
amphitheater for a show, where you’ll learn more about
Hawaiian foods and customs. Your guide will even show
you how to make fire by rubbing sticks together and how
to open a coconut. You can try yourself and get some of
the good stuff out of the fruit and snack on it.
After that, your guide will take you on a short boat
ride around the fishpond. He’ll tell you some more about
the history of the area and include recent events, such
as the filming of popular Hollywood movies. Quite a few
movies and TV series have been filmed in this area,
including Gilligan's Island, Fantasy Island,
50 First Dates, Lost, Tears of the Sun
and Along Came Polly.
Back on land, you’ll enjoy a tour of the fruit trees.
Now is your chance to try guavas and star fruits right
off the tree. Nothing is better than a fruit that’s
picked fully ripe from the tree and eaten right away.
This completes the tour and back in the store you can
then browse around some more.
Tropical Farms in Bullet Points
- Macadamia nut farm that's off the beaten path
- They have a wide variety of flavored macadamias
- Discover other unique gifts
- Take part in their Alii Tour of the plantation
and learn about Hawaiian history, customs, fruits
and plants
Tropical Farms Hours
Open 7 days a week, 10:45 am to 6:00 pm. Except on
Tuesdays when there is only one tour at 10:45 am. The
tour lasts one hour.
Tropical Farms Admission
Entry into the shop is free. They also have many free
coffee and free macadamia nut samples.
The tour costs $15 per person.
Driving Directions to Tropical Farms/ Location
It's about 8 miles up Kamehameha Highway heading toward
the Polynesian Cultural Center from Kaneohe. It'll be on
your right-hand side, before the park that looks out at
Chinaman's Hat island. Watch for the sign - if you
blink, you'll drive right by it. If you get to where you
can see the open ocean and Chinaman's Hat island is
behind you, or if you get to Kualoa Ranch, then you went
too far.
Address: 49-227 Kamehameha Hwy
Kaneohe, HI 96744
Tropical Farms Map (top)
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Kaneohe Weather (top)
Now
80°F
Windchill:
80°F
Fair
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Location: Kaneohe, HI, US
Wind: 12 mph E
Humidity: 69%
Visibility: 0.1 mi
Pressure: 29.96 in falling
Sunrise: 6:37 am
Sunset: 5:51 pm
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Sat
Hi: 80°F
Low: 76°F
Scattered Showers
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Sun
Hi: 80°F
Low: 75°F
Scattered Showers
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